The stadion was used specifically for human athletic contests whereas the Greek hippodrome and later the Roman circus were used for equestrian events. The gymnasion and the palaistra were used for training purposes for human athletic events.

The winner of the Stadion race could justifiably be called the fastest man in the Greek world. According to legend, Herakles, whose feet were 0·32 meters (12·7 inches) long, stepped-off the Stadion at Olympia. Since he chose a distance of 600 “feet”, this made the race at Olympia 192 meters. Herakles staged a race for his brothers, the Kouretes, and crowned the victor with a branch of wild olive. Although the Greek Stadion race was always 600 feet, other Greek gods had “feet” of different lengths. This caused the length of the Stadion race to vary slightly from stadium to stadium. This list of Olympic victors compiled by Hippias in about 400 B.C. lists the Stadion race as the only event in the first 13 Olympic games. Coreobus of Elis, a cook, was the victor in the Stadion race in 776 B.C. and thus the first recorded Olympic victor.